The Acorn in Longbridge Road, Barking: ‘One of the nicest pubs’ around

The Acorn in Longbridge Road dates back to 1855 and has been known under multiple names in its 170-year history.

Originally the pub was known as The Flyhouse before being named The Royal Oak and most recently being re-branded as The Acorn following a major refurbishment in the summer of 2023.

“Many people in the area still know it as The Flyhouse,” said George Davies, manager of The Acorn.

“After a £600,000 investment, it opened up as The Acorn in August 2023.

“It underwent a complete refurb and was been brought up to a really modern day specification but it still has a classic twist.

“We kept some of the older features like the high ceilings.”

The pub has been around since 1855 and has had three different names over time (Image: The Acorn) George has only been the manager of The Acorn for 14 weeks but he claims to already “love the pub”.

He added: “I love being here and things are going in the right direction.”

George explained that The Acorn’s unique selling point is its “amazing” design and aesthetic.

“You walk in here and you can only be wowed,” he said.

“The décor and the cleanliness is fantastic – no stone has been left unturned.

“I believe the pub wasn’t the most desirable place to come before the refurb and I think people were worried that it might stay like that but it’s now totally different to anything else in the area.

George described The Acorn’s refurbishment as amazing (Image: The Acorn) “It can only be classed as amazing – the lighting as well just sets it apart from any other pub – not just in the area but anywhere.

“It’s right up there with the nicest pubs you can walk into.”

The outdoor seating area was also updated with the refurbishment and can now seat 200 people, according to George.

“We have a huge outside area with a stretched tent, heating and three wicker suites that sit up to 14 people.”

George said that The Acorn’s outdoor seating area can now fit 200 people (Image: The Acorn)

George believes that another commendable feature of The Acorn is the value for money and quality of food served.

“We serve good food – 90 per cent of our food is fresh,” he said.

The Acorn was refurbished in 2023 (Image: The Acorn) “Our Sunday lunch is really popular as well – the roast lamb and roast beef in particular.”

The pub is looking forward to summer and putting on live music, he added.

“We do live music at the end of every month and we’re starting to play about with some more premium live musicians who have a bit more of a following.”

The Acorn will host a Bee Gees tribute band at the end of March and an ABBA tribute band at the end of April.

“That will take us into summer where we can start planning outside events,” said George.